


A Day in Life

by themenaceofalderaan



Series: Random Dark Snippets [4]
Category: Dark (TV 2017)
Genre: Gen, Ines Kahnwald is a good grandma, Martha and Magnus make a short appearance, Michael Kahnwald is a really great dad, as well as toast hawaii, because that's literally the one comfort food the Kahnwalds can accept, i literally wrote this instead of sleep, no beta we die like men, that one time Jonas got sick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 19:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29639397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themenaceofalderaan/pseuds/themenaceofalderaan
Summary: Jonas gets sick. Michael takes care of him. Ines tags along. Hannah just wants some sleep.No plot, just Michael & Jonas because they didn't get the screentime they deserved together.
Relationships: Hannah Kahnwald/Michael Kahnwald | Mikkel Nielsen, Ines Kahnwald & Jonas Kahnwald, Ines Kahnwald & Michael Kahnwald | Mikkel Nielsen, Jonas Kahnwald & Michael Kahnwald | Mikkel Nielsen
Series: Random Dark Snippets [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2153226
Comments: 13
Kudos: 15
Collections: Kahnwald Collection





	A Day in Life

“Papa?”

Michael nearly jumps when he sees Jonas standing in his studio. He’s still in his pajamas, eyes tired as he stares at his father. Michael thinks that he had forgotten that he should be taking Jonas to school today, that Hannah is already off to work, but throwing a look at the clock, he realizes he’s been painting the whole evening and it’s yet time for school.

He turns from his painting to Jonas, eyes softening. “Jonas, why are you up? It’s late. You should be sleeping.” It’s really late. If Hannah catches them here at one a.m., they’re gonna both be in trouble.

“I think I’m sick,” Jonas says.

“Oh no,” Michael frowns and walks to him, crouching down to be on the same level as him. “What’s wrong?”

“My head and throat hurt.”

Michael reaches a hand and presses it against his forehead. “God. You’re burning,” he says. “Come, I’m gonna get you some medicine. We’ll call Grandma Ines in the morning and she’ll know what’s up with you, okay?”

“Okay,” Jonas nods, stretching out his arms. Michael lifts him up, taking him into his arms. Jonas wraps his legs around his torso, holding onto him like a koala. It’s always been tricky going down and up the stairs like this with him, but eventually, Michael became a pro on how to not fall.

He sits him down onto a chair by the kitchen table, quickly searching for the medkit.

Michael has never been comfortable with dosing his son with drugs. He’s always been too worried about its effect on him. But if they are going to survive the night, then he’ll need to give him something. He decides for half of an aspirin, pouring Jonas a glass of water to get it into him quicker.

Jonas makes a grimace when he finally swallows the pill, and Michael gives him a smile. “Gross?”

Jonas nods.

“Let’s look at the thermometer.”

Jonas hands it to him, watching as his father comes to conclusion.

“Thirty-eight. You have a mild fever,” Michael frowns and puts everything back where it belongs. “We can’t do anything right now, but hopefully, Grandma will figure it out in the morning.”

He guides him back to bed, both passing the bedroom as quietly as possible to not wake Hannah, and Michael is the one to drape the covers over him.

“Does it hurt a lot?” he asks as he sits on the edge of his bed.

Jonas shakes his head. He’s been quiet lately. “Stay with me until I fall asleep?” he asks tiredly.

Michael narrows his eyes, looking serious before grinning. “Scoot over.”

Jonas moves to the side of the bed in order to give his father some space on the bed. As soon as Michael’s back hits the mattress, Jonas glues himself to his side and Michael envelopes him in a hug, pressing a kiss into his hair. “Get some sleep,” he whispers to him, reaching to turn off the light.

When Michael wakes up, he’s alone in the bed. Light is outside already and when he turns to read Jonas’ alarm clock, he finds out that it’s nine in the morning with terror.

He gets up, cracking his back, looking around the room. Jonas’ backpack is still here, so he’s not in school. There are voices downstairs.

It’s Ines and Jonas. Jonas is sitting in an armchair, covered with a thick fur blanket. Ines is standing by the stove, stirring hot cocoa with a spoon. Cartoons are playing on the TV and the air smells like Toast Hawaii. It feels cozy. Serene. Domestic.

He rubs his eyes. “Good morning.”

“Morning, Papa,” Jonas smiles at him from where he’s sitting. He doesn’t give him much attention, instead, he focuses on yet another episode of Spongebob.

“Morning,” Ines looks at him. “Hannah called. She said Jonas and her couldn’t wake you up. You slept like a dead man.”

“A little early for that,” he mutters and stops where Ines is standing. “How is Jonas?”

“It’s tonsillitis, I think,” Ines tells him. “But take him to the pediatrician, just to be sure. And call to school he’s sick, Hannah was in a rush.”

“Well, Tiedemann pays her good money for his physiotherapy, no wonder she was rushing,” Michael says. During weaker months, Tiedemann’s money was what kept them going. “Thank you for being here with him. I don’t know why they couldn’t wake me up.”

Ines answer with a rub on his shoulder. “Cocoa?”

“Yes please,” Michael says.

“Jonas?” Ines turns towards her grandson. “Cocoa?”

“Yes please!” Jonas exclaims.

Michael looks down at the oven. “Is that Toast Hawaii?”

Ines gives him a mischievous smile.

* * *

“We just came home from the doctor. He really has tonsillitis.”

Michael hears Hannah sigh. _“Oh no. Is he alright?”_

He turns to where Jonas is lying on the couch with Ines, telling her about the Narnia movie plot with excitement. Who’d say a couple of kids entering a mysterious world in a wardrobe would be so interesting for him. Jonas is whip-smart and read the first book in a few days. Michael reminds himself to buy him the rest of the book set for Christmas.

“Yeah, he is. The doctor ordered him to stay home for a week but Jonas seems more than happy about it.”

_“And Ines is with you?”_

“Jonas is not very intent on letting her go at this moment,” Michael chuckles. “When are you coming home?”

By the sound of flipping pages, he guests she’s searching in her notebook. _“I have my last client at… six. So I won’t be home until late evening, probably. You’re gonna make it okay?”_

“Of course. Don’t worry about us.”

_“Should I stop by at the shop on my way back? At the pharmacy, maybe?”_

“Well... we’re out of pineapples.”

There’s a small laugh at the other end of the line. _“You know, I’m not even surprised.”_

Hannah didn’t get the appeal of Toast Hawaii, but as long as it made the boys happy, she’d let them eat that barbaric food.

_“I’ll buy some pineapples.”_

“Thank you,” Michael says.

_“Well, I should get going. I love you.”_

“Love you.”

Michael puts down the phone.

“What did I miss?” he plops down next to Jonas.

“Peter just got knighted by Aslan,” Jonas tells him. “The White Witch is coming for Edmund.”

“The White Witch is familiar,” Michael mutters. “What’s the name of the actress?”

Ines reaches for the CD cover. “Tilda Swinton.”

“Right. She’s from Doctor Strange,” Michael realizes.

They both look at him. Jonas frowns. “What’s Doctor Strange?”

“What do you mean?” Michael chuckles. “Avengers?”

Jonas doesn’t seem convinced.

The doorbell saves Michael, only to bring him another surprise.

A surprise in form of his siblings, way younger than he remembers, Martha of Jonas’ age and Magnus a year older.

He stands frozen for a moment before Martha speaks up.

“Hi Mr. Kahnwald,” Martha gives him a shy smile. “We’re bringing homework to Jonas.”

_This is so wrong._ He thinks bitterly. _My older siblings are standing in front of me, yet I’m thirty years older than them and have a son of their age._

And it doesn’t help that Jonas developed a kid crush on Martha - on his own _aunt_.

But for now, he chooses to forget all of that. He takes a deep breath, calming himself. “That’s… very nice of you.”

She messes around with her backpack before she hands him a couple of notes from the teachers. “There.”

“Thank you,” Michael nods.

“When can Jonas come back?” Magnus asks.

“In a week or two,” Michael says.

“Can we see him?” Martha asks.

“You might get sick, too. You should go home before your parents are looking for you, it’s getting late,” he tries to smile.

They look at each other before nodding.

“Okay. Say hi to him from us,” Magnus says. “Bye Mr. Kahnwald.”

“Bye,” Martha waves before she rushes to follow Magnus who’s already riding away on his bike. “Magnus!” she whines. “Wait!”

Michael closes the door and shortly wonders: _what the hell_.

* * *

“How much is three times eleven?”

Ines went home a few minutes ago. Michael is helping Jonas with his homework. Luckily, he still remembers multiplication facts. Nowadays, all he needs to know is how to hold a paintbrush in his hand.

“Thirty-three,” Michael answers. “You should know that.”

“I don’t like math,” Jonas sighs.

“A lot of people don’t.”

“I don’t think I’m good at it.”

Michael chuckles. “Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s gonna get easier,” he stands up. “At least finish with german, how does that sound?”

“Acceptable,” Jonas murmurs.

“What do you want for dinner?” Michael asks.

Jonas looks at him with puppy eyes. “Toast Hawaii?”

“No pineapples, sweetheart,” Michael ruffles his hair. “Is only toast _acceptable_?”

His son gives him an innocent look. “With ketchup and salami?”

“With ketchup and salami,” Michael confirms and gets to work.

* * *

Hannah gets home shortly after eight p.m., more tired than she expected to be. All she wants to do is get a hot shower and go to sleep.

When she steps into the living room, she realizes she might be the least tired person in this household.

Sprawled on the couch are Michael and Jonas. Michael is snoring softly while Jonas is completely oblivious to the world, holding tightly onto his father’s torso as he sleeps.

She can’t help but smile. She’d love to take a picture of them like this, but she knows the lightning would only wake them both.

Quietly, she sneaks towards them, attacking Michael with a sprinkle of forehead kisses.

He opens his eyes in confusion, but when he sees her, they only soften. “Hi.”

“Hey,” she whispers with a smile. “I see you’re very busy with parenting.”

“It’s a tough job,” he jokes. “I’ll get him to bed.”

Michael manages to stand up even with Jonas in his arms. The worst thing about parenting is that eventually, the child grows up. It’s crazy how much time passes, but Michael is too sleepy to philosophize about what’s going to come or not.

Now, it’s only him, Jonas, Hannah. It’s all he needs.

In Jonas’s room, he quickly changes his pajama shirt to a clean one, fighting Jonas’ defying unconscious arms. But he wins the battle and manages to put the new shirt on him, lying him into the bed, covering him up to his chin. Lastly, he presses a kiss to his forehead before he heads out and lets him sleep.

Hannah is lying in the bed by the time he comes out of the bathroom. When he joins her, she’s just like Jonas. Holding onto him like a koala. She’s always been like this. Clinging onto him as if someone should take him away from her.

“What did you guys do all day?” she murmurs into his neck sleepily.

“Well, we ate some Toast Hawaii, Jonas and Ines watched those ridiculous Narnia movies while I was cooking lunch and…”

By the time he finishes, she’s asleep.

With mild amusement, he reaches for the lamp and turns the light off.

When he wakes up, there’s slight burning in his throat. Jonas is nestled between him and Hannah. But for another few hours, Michael closes his eyes and sleeps, more peacefully than he had in years.


End file.
